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2005 Malaysian Grand Prix
20 March |number = 733 |officialname = VII Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix |circuit = Sepang International Circuit |location = Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 5.543 |laps = 56 |distance = 310.408 |pole = Fernando Alonso |polenation = ESP |poleteam = |poletime = 3:07.672 |fastestlap = 1:35.483 |fastestlapdriver = Kimi Räikkönen |fastestlapnation = FIN |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 23 |winner = Fernando Alonso |winnernation = ESP |winnerteam = |second = Jarno Trulli |secondnation = ITA |secondteam = |third = Nick Heidfeld |thirdnation = GER |thirdteam = }} The 2005 Malaysian Grand Prix, otherwise formally known as the VII Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix, was the second round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia, on 20 March 2005.'Malaysia 2005: Alonso turns up the heat.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 20/03/2005), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/51588/1/malaysia-2005-alonso-turns-up-the-heat, (Accessed 02/01/2020) The race would see Fernando Alonso claim his first victory of the season in dominant fashion, defeating former teammate Jarno Trulli. Despite complaints after the opening round in Australia, cumulative qualifying would return in Malaysia, and would see Alonso secure pole position for . Trulli subsequently got his alongside the Spaniard, while Australia winner Giancarlo Fisichella secured third ahead of Mark Webber. Amid the familiar Malaysian conditions of humidity and heat the race would start very cleanly, with Alonso streaking ahead of Trulli to secure the lead. Behind, Jenson Button, Nick Heidfeld and Rubens Barrichello all made some early progress, diving through the midfield into the first corner after poor quali-performances left them at the back of the field. Unfortunately for Button he and teammate Anthony Davidson would retire very early on, both suffering engine failures in spite of taking fresh engines in their s ahead of the race. Button's demise would also remove Patrick Friesacher from the race as he slipped on the Honda's oil while, out front, Alonso set a series of fastest laps to leave an all Italian scrap for second between Trulli and Fisichella. The fight for second would only be interrupted by the first round of stops, with Alonso and Trulli stopping on lap 21 to leave Fisichella in a temporary lead. He stopped on the following tour to hand the lead to Kimi Räikkönen, who duly delivered two new lap records before diving into the pits himself. That late push put the Finn into fourth ahead of Webber and Ralf Schumacher, although is race was soon curtailed by a puncture, that sent the sliding off the circuit. He eventually limped back to the pits with the entire tyre missing, rejoining in a lowly thirteenth having lost almost a full lap. As the second stint developed it became clear that the Sepang circuit was punishing the tyres, with Fisichella the big victim as he picked up several blisters. Trulli and Ralf Schumacher were also notable blistered battlers, although while Trulli held onto a secure second, Fisichella would drop back into the sights of Webber's . Webber moved into striking position several laps later, although his lunge at turn thirteen only allowed Schumacher to nose alongside, while Nick Heidfeld joined the fight. Schumacher then lunged at the Williams into turn fourteen and ran the Australian wide, a move which also caused Heidfeld to lose time. However, Heidfeld still had momentum, and an excellent double tow allowed him to pass Schumacher into turn one, only for the German racer to retaliate and take fifth back at turn four. However, Schumacher would run wide during the next battle and hand the position to Heidfeld, who subsequently fled up the road to catch teammate Webber, just as the Aussie lined up another attack on Fisichella. This time Fisichella would defend aggressively, resulting in contact at the final corner that left both cars out of the race with damage. Heidfeld hence slipped through to claim third ahead of Schumacher, with the second Toyota's pace deteriorating rapidly as the race wore on. With that the race was run, with Alonso remaining unchallenged through the second round of stops to claim victory ahead of Trulli, who claimed Toyota's maiden podium finish. Heidfeld survived well to complete the podium, while Schumacher's fading tyres allowed Juan Pablo Montoya to sweep past the Toyota for fourth late on. The remaining points went to David Coulthard, a quiet Michael Schumacher and Christian Klien. Background Opening day victory for Giancarlo Fisichella left the Italian racer atop the Championship, holding ten points and a two point lead. Rubens Barrichello and Fernando Alonso completed the early top three, while David Coulthard and Mark Webber rounded out the top five. The remaining opening day scorers were Juan Pablo Montoya, Christian Klien and Kimi Räikkönen. In the Constructors Championship it was double podium finishers who left the opening round at the head of the hunt, leaving Australia with sixteen points. Defending Champions would begin the season in second, eight behind the French manufacturer, while debutantes were in third, just point behind the Italian giants. Completing the scorers list were and , level on four points. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: ** Sato was withdrawn from the race weekend due to illness. Practice Overview Qualifying Q1 Report Q2 Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. ** Sato was unable to take part in qualifying or the race due to illness. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. Milestones * Twentieth entry for Christian Klien.'2005 Malaysian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2005&gp=Malaysian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 03/01/2020) * Second career victory for Fernando Alonso.'2. Malaysia 2005', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2005/malaisie.aspx, (Accessed 03/01/2020) ** Also Alonso's tenth podium finish. * scored their nineteenth win as a constructor. ** Also their 99th triumph as an engine supplier. * claimed their maiden podium finish as a constructor and engine supplier. Standings Fernando Alonso moved to the top of the Championship after his victory in Malaysia, leaving Sepang with sixteen points to his name. Teammate Giancarlo Fisichella made way for him, dropping to second after his retirement, while Jarno Trulli had leapt into third after his podium finish. The Italian racer headed a quartet of drivers on eight points, with twelve drivers on the score sheet. In the Constructors Championship had continued to build their early advantage, moving onto 26 points after Alonso's triumph. , meanwhile, had streak straight into second after their maiden trip to the podium, a point ahead of in third. The Austrian rookies were themselves a point ahead of and , while were a further point behind as the final scorers. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles es:Gran Premio de Malasia de 2005 Category:Grand Prix articles Category:2005 Grands Prix Category:Malaysian Grand Prix